Drowning in Minutia

There is an old story about a college professor that brings in an empty jar and jars with rocks, pebbles, and sand.  He asks his class if they think that he can get all three jars full of stuff into the one empty jar.  They of course say no way.  He lets one of them try it.  They put in the sand first and there is barely room for any pebbles, let alone the rocks.  The the professor shows them.  He puts in the rocks first.  They are the important things, God, love, family, education, a job.  Then, he asks if they think more will fit.  He then pours in all the pebbles.  The fall down in the cracks around the rocks.  These are semi important things like hobbies.  Then, he pours in all of the sand, and it fills in all the cracks between the pebbles.  The sand is the unimportant things. 

There is room for everything in our lives, but only if we take care of the important things first.  I think that our society has gotten so used to focusing on the grains of sand that we are bumping what is important.  I look at what the headlines are and shudder.  Is what celebrities have speeding or DUI arrests really the most important thing going on in the world today?  I know that who gets custody of Michael Jackson's kids is one of the big things to them, but should it be one of our rocks or should it be sand?

I can't wait for the election to be over!  This is where I think that we are actually drowning in minutia.  After the debate last night they actually counted how many times each candidate insulted or called the other a name.  With all the important "rocks" we need to think and decide about, all the media is giving us is "sand."  You know what?  Both candidates are human.  Both candidates are sinful.  Both candidates truly believe that they know what is best for the country.  Is it more important to know where they stand on the issues or whether or not they color their hair?

Confession time:  I color my hair.  I consider this to be a grain of sand thing.  It makes me happy, but the world would not come to an end if I stopped.  The fact that I color my hair doesn't tell you anything about who I am, what I believe in, what is important to me.  It is irrelevant to who I really am. 

I think we need to start insisting on getting "rocks" first.  Remember, that when we start with the rocks, that there will still be plenty of room for pebbles and sand.  (Although if there isn't room for Justin Bieber's latest haircut, I think I will live.) 

Jesus knew that we were prone to worry about not only big things, but all the silly little things too.  Here is his advice from Mathew 6:25-34.

25

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you

will drink,or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing? 
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they?

27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field,

how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,

29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we

drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  

32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But strive first for the kingdom of God

and his righteousness, and all these things will

be given to you as well. 

34

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.

Today’s trouble is enough for today.